Cancun Hotel Zone to get new bridge connection to city mainland

After years of petitions and research to help improve vehicle flow from the Cancun Hotel Zone to the mainland, the National Trust Fund for Tourist Development (Fonatur) finally got the approval they were hoping for.

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has given the green light to begin construction of a new Cancun Hotel Zone bridge that will connect that zone with city mainland.

The new structure will be built over the Nichupte Lagoon at kilometer 7 and span 1.2 kms to about kilometer 9 of the Hotel Zone. The bridge will rest on nearly 30 pillars that when complete, will provide motorists with four regular lanes and two emergency vehicle lanes.

Fonatur provided an environmental impact statement where they said that the bridge construction will not have a notable negative impact for the wildlife that reside in and around the lagoon, nor will it prove hazardous to the lagoon itself. They also said that they plan to relocated any wildlife that currently reside in that area.

While constructing the new bridge, Fonatur will also be constructing 13 artificial mangrove inlets to help improve the lagoon’s water condition as well as help compensate for any natural destruction to the Nichupte Lagoon.

Now that the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has approved the project, companies can officially begin bidding next month. To date, OHL (Obrascon Huarte Lain) and ICA (Civil Engineer Association) have expressed interest in building the bridge and inlets.

The Federal government has put together a national infrastructure budget that they’re guesstimating will cost around $54,000 US for the new bridge.